1

Cosmetic Dentistry / Re: Denture Problems

« on: October 12, 2012, 11:30:50 PM »

Hi, my mother who is 56 had 24 teeth pulled due to paradontel disease and had complete upper and lower dentures put in back in March 2012. She has been to the dentist many times for work on the dentures. She has had many problems with them not fitting correctly, rubbing sore spots, bite not right and still cannot eat with them. She hasnt been able to eat any solid/ semi-solid food since she has gotten them. She is very discouraged and depressed about them and doesnt know where to turn. Should she get a second opinion since her dentist says there is nothing he can do? Additionally, she has had excessive salive and when I say excessive I mean WAY excessive to the point of vomiting. Is this normal? Any help will be very much appreciated.

Now you know why we dentist discourage patients from having all their teeth extracted. Some adapt well to dentures. Some, like your mother, never do. Extracting all teeth is so final. Backtracking to place implants is so expensive.

It is impossible to tell without examination whether the dentures are a poor fit and/or the bite is off, or whether your mother is just one of those people who do not adapt well. However, in 35 years of doing dentures, I find that only about 5 percent of the patient population cannot adapt to dentures.

Salivary flow may take a week to return to normal.

A training aid that often works is to reline with a tissue conditioner until all ulcers and sore spots have heale

2

About Thailand / Re: Amalgam fillings and pregnancy

« on: October 12, 2012, 10:40:09 PM »

I am glad I was able to help. Pregnancy changes our world completely and you are doing great by making sure to avoid and external hazards. You are worried for your baby's safety and that wonderful . Best of luck. Have a healthy and happy pregnancy.

3

About Thailand / Re: Anyone traveling to Thailand in December?

« on: September 21, 2012, 12:53:06 AM »

I'm taking my 14th trip to bangkok this December, arriving 2 days after you.
Since you have 2 weeks, Choose the north or the south, but not both. Running around spending days traveling won't make your trip very enjoyable.
In my humble opinion, you should go to Bangkok, stay on Koh San Road for a day and then take the train to Suratthani and a Ferry to Koh Phan Ngan and stay there until it's time to leave. I know there are so many things you want to see, but you will just stress yourself out if you try to see a bunch of stuff in 2 weeks. Take the money you would have spent on extra plane tickets and go scuba diving, elephant riding, jet skiing, fishing, do archery, go out for sushi, and buy drinks for your new found friends at the bar. There is a huge party on Koh Phan Ngan on Friday December 28th for the full moon, that will continue right until New Years Eve. If you don't get to Koh Phan Ngan until the 28th, book ahead. Really. I've seen people sleeping in hammocks in bars on the other side of the island, the night before the full moon party. Koh Phan Ngan is my favorite place in the world. I've spent months there. I've been all over Thailand and for a two week vacation, it's the best.

4

General Dentistry / Re: Bangkok Dental Works - Deep Cleaning ---

« on: September 21, 2012, 12:50:37 AM »

Be VERY careful.
Every year many people come to Thailand for medical treatment because it is "cheaper" than their home country or they avoid waiting lists.
however there are also a lots of people who get a raw deal.

Firstly any medical care in Thailand is very much a lottery - whilst there are good Doctors and Dentists in Thailand how will YOU know which one is any good. Thanks to a vey corrupt and unmonitored system Doctors and quacks can operate here with almost tool impunity.

Many people go home thinking they have had a wonderful stay - the hospital LOOKED great and plenty of people dressed in nurses uniforms tended to them

When they get home though the story is not always so rosy - many find that the treatment they had was not either necessary or carried out correctly. They sometimes find that the work they had done comes undone ........ you are then left with the most serious problem

COMEBACK - who do you complain to?
THe chances are if you complain to the hospital you will be met by a wall of silence or prevarication........getting redress s almost impossible

Big names lie Bumrungrad are by no means a guarantee of high standards - they have had some major complaints over the last few years.

Check out this link about one of the "top" hospitals in Thailand.

Malpractice

THis is actually a sign that things are getting better - but it still took 16 YEARS to get a result!!!!!

5

About Thailand / Re: Dental Implant

« on: September 21, 2012, 12:48:17 AM »

 Yeah, I was thinking of that. If I did it in conjunction with a vacation to Thailand. The savings alone would almost pay for the trip. My only concern would be follow up care.

6

About Thailand / Re: Amalgam fillings and pregnancy

« on: September 03, 2012, 07:15:38 PM »

 Hello twinmom,

Amalgam is a very highly controversial topic. Many claim of its devastating effects of brain and the central nervous system, BUT it is dose specific. Did you know that the Mercury contained in amalgam is nowhere near the amount of Mercury contained in fish? The world wide web is a great source of information, however when you are searching for reliable scientific answers, I recommend using google scholar and reading studies published in reliable scientific journals. Less and less people opt for amalgam fillings because of aesthetic reasons, however amalgam fillings are more durable and long lasting than composite fillings. The reason why amalgam is controversial and many dentists stopped using them is because of environmental waste. The Government monitors closely the amalgam levels in the environment and we, as dentists accumulate a lot of amalgam waste from extra unused amalgams or removed amalgam fillings. This becomes a burden and that is why many practices are going metal free.
-Once again I would like to assure you that there are hundreds of studies on this topic and none have definitely linked amalgam dental fillings with developmental problems in pregnant women. It is also very difficult to scrape off amalgam once it sets and you had them for 10 years. The gray may have been from the polishing/mint tasting volcanic ash used after cleanings to remove stains from teeth. It is great that you are taking care of your oral health while pregnant, since pregnant women are at risk of developing gingivitis if they do not maintain proper oral hygiene.

7

General Dentistry / Re: Problem with crown

« on: April 04, 2012, 01:52:04 AM »

I recently had a crown put on my right lower molar. The tooth is now sensitive to heat and cold, my TMJ is bothering me, and it feels like i'm biting down on rock. Can a crown be removed and, if so, will there be enough of a tooth to be able to chew?

If the crown is removed, the tooth has to be crowned again using the same crown or a new crown. The question is why the tooth is sensitive and why when biting on it it feels like a rock.
You need to have the crown checked by your dentist, there could be a possiblity that the crown is high and needs djustment (more likely), or the nerve inside the tooth is stressed and the tooth might need a root canal treatment (less likely).

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Cosmetic Dentistry / Re: coffee stains

« on: April 04, 2012, 01:49:58 AM »

Zoom and other in office whitening procedures will help in eliminating heavy stains and whiten your teeth at least eight shades, check with a local dentist for available one hour whitening solution.

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Cosmetic Dentistry / Re: I have missing molars can i get false teeth

« on: March 12, 2012, 07:13:54 PM »

It's a bit of a crap shoot really. I lost the very last molar (lower left) ten years ago, and was warned that there was the possibility that the tooth directly above it, [since it no longer had anything to "hit" while biting down or chewing], might slowly erupt and loosen. And that the teeth adjacent to the lost molar would shift. (Whenever there is a gap in the mouth the remaining teeth tend to want to "move" to fill it!)

An implant was suggested but this was ten years ago and the process was not nearly as sophisticated as it is today.
I opted to take my chances, said "no" to bridge and/or implant and was very fortunate not to have any problems with teeth shifting or that upper molar erupting downwards.

However, recently, the molar directly in front of the missing one (this molar had been root-canaled and crowned) just fractured under the crown and couldn't be saved. So THAT was pulled. So now I have BOTH molars missing on that side and can't HAVE a bridge. So now I need implant(s). TWO molars missing on same side will definitely cause a major shift in my mouth, not to mention not being able to really chew properly. Not yet sure if I will get one or two. The $$$$ makes me swoon.

Did your dentist tell you he saw the beginnings of a problem? or have your remaining teeth remained stable?

And I know the "idea" of a titanium screw makes you queasy but I hear the hardest part is the orig. extraction! And I heard there is nothing more stable and secure than a good implant.

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Cosmetic Dentistry / Re: Dental implant after ten years?

« on: March 05, 2012, 07:26:40 PM »

Dental Implant is a permanent or long term solution for missing tooth or teeth. Normally it says minimum 10 years. however, if you treat it well and maintain well, it will stay for life long. some people may not do the instructions given, then sometimes implant may damage. otherwise it will be longer than 10 years. if it break or remove, replacement is needed. otherwise blank space is there.

11

Phuket Expat Forum - Phuket Expatriates Living / Re: Paypal Alternative to withdraw money in Thailand Banks

« on: February 27, 2012, 10:19:59 PM »

I want to add a comment here with my experience.

Actually what this kind of companies does is they act like a middle person which have the paypal money remit to thier own account and they settle it with their own arrangement to you. So you have to find one company which is very reliable and trustworth since the money goes through their hands before it reaches you. I had experience with those who did it with a very good offer but ends up being disappear. So try to work with some companies which can provide both payment gateway service and this kind of settlement service but not just the ones who are more broker type.

I never tried asianpay and here are two I had been working with:
paymentasia
xoom

I do not need this now for my paypal payments since I had my offshore account sets in the US, plus I have setup my own merchant account with Paymentasia for credit card processing.

I will suggest once your online trade volume is up to a stage switch over to your own merchant account with proper business setup. It is more a safety and formal way to operate your online business.

12

General Dentistry / What type of dental crown ("cap") should you have made?

« on: February 21, 2012, 07:32:00 PM »

Dental crowns can be made from ceramic materials (porcelain), metal (gold), or a combination of both (porcelain fused to metal).

1- All porcelain dental crowns are constructed in a manner where the entire crown is made of all porcelain. These crowns can possess a translucency that makes them the most similar to your natural teeth by being cosmetically pleasing when you smile.

2-All metal crowns, such as gold crowns, can withstand biting and chewing forces well. Gold crowns probably have the greatest potential for lasting the longest because the wear rate is about the same as a person's own tooth enamel.

3-Porcelain fused to metal dental crowns are somewhat of a hybrid between all metal crowns and all porcelain crowns. They have the strength and durability of a metal crown but have the cosmetic appearance of an all porcelain crown.

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General Dentistry / Re: Should I have my crowns replaced?

« on: February 21, 2012, 06:36:57 PM »

CERTAINLY SEEK ANOTHER DENTIST TO DO THIS WORK IF YOU CHOOSE, BUT ALSO BE AWARE THAT AS YOU AGE THE NATURAL TEETH TEND TO DARKEN SLIGHTLY WITH TIME SO IT WOULD BE A WASTE OF MONEY AND YOU WOULD HATE HAVING DONE THIS.
LOOK AT ALL THE MONEY I JUST SAVED YOU, LOL.!